The present invention relates generally to tubing clamps and particularly to a one-way slide clamp which is employed to close and seal the fluid passageway of flexible tubing. Several types of slide clamps, which are principally employed in hospital and medical applications, have been proposed in the prior art. Those slide clamps are designed to permit an operator to repeatedly open and close the fluid passageway of tubing by manipulating the clamp back and forth. A potentially serious drawback of the reversable on-off slide clamps in general is that a patient may intentionally or unintentionally tamper with the device causing a potentially dangerous change in the desired fluid flow unbeknownst to the nurse or operator. Generally, those reversable slide clamps have not been employed for applications requiring that a section of fluid tubing be permanently sealed.
For example, one such application includes parenteral solution containers which are supplied either empty or partially filled permitting a physician or hospital personnel to transfer or admix a prepared parenteral solution through an entry port into the container. After the container has been filled with the desired solution, it is necessary to hermetically and permanently seal the inlet tubing.
One method of sealing the inlet tube after the desired solution has been admixed includes a pliable, metal collar which is crimped over the inlet tubing by a pair of specialized pliers. Another method for sealing the inlet tube includes melting the tube together by means of a heat sealing apparatus. Although these methods do seal the tubing, both require additional specialized tools or devices which are expensive and oftentimes are not readily available, causing an inconvenience to the hospital personnel. Moreover, metal collars absorb heat and microwave radiation, often employed to thaw the solution ater a period of storing the container in a freezer. The metal collar heats and can melt a hole in the inlet tube, ruining the container and its prepared solution.
The need exists for a one-way slide clamp which is readily employed to seal the fluid tubing and is easily applied by hospital personnel to thereafter maintain a tamper-proof and sterile seal.